The Treaties of Peace and Friendship: Living Bonds, Lasting Lessons
This exhibit explores the Treaties of Peace and Friendship through a reproduction of the "Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1760" from the St. Andrews Historical Society. Here, we recount the history of the series of treaties the original document is a part of and their relevance in Charlotte County today.
What is a treaty?
Treaties are formal agreements between mutually sovereign parties, peoples, or nations that index a relationship with long-standing promises, reciprocal benefits, and a framework for future interactions.
The enduring bond formalized by treaties is exemplified by the Peskotomuhkati and Maliseet language, in which the word “Iakatuwakon” refers to both a treaty and kinship, meaning treaties are pacts that forge family.
What are the Treaties of Peace and Friendship?
The Treaties of Peace and Friendship are a series of formal agreements made between the Wolastoqiyik (sometimes known as the Maliseet), the Mi’kmaq, the Peskotomuhkati (sometimes known as the Passamaquoddy), and the English during the period of early European colonization. The Treaties of Peace and Friendship were primarily alliance-building tools, created and reaffirmed after periods of war. The treaties harmonized relations to establish peace based on mutual respect and good conduct. Historically, the treaties also tried to undermine French foothold within treaty territories and Indigenous communities.
How are the Treaties of Peace and Friendship relevant in Charlotte County today?
Despite historic and recent periods of dismissal, these treaties were made to last. In fact, in 1999 the Supreme Court of Canada ratified the treaty rights set forth in the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1760. More recently, in 2016, the Peskotomuhkati Council met with representatives of the Governments of New Brunswick and Canada to reaffirm treaty principles. This means that for almost three hundred years, our nations have promised to uphold a bond based on respect, trust, and friendship.
Since Charlotte County falls within the territorial jurisdiction of the Treaties of Peace and Friendship, the promises made therein apply to all those living, working, playing, and learning in the area. Whether you were born here, have resided here for many years, or are a newcomer, you are part of the shared history of this land. You are a treaty person.
We are all treaty people.
Being a treaty person is an identity shared by all people who descend from the treaty signatories and those they represented. Whether settler or Indigenous, you are an inheritor of the promises made by those who came before you. These responsibilities will continue to pass on to future generations—that is how treaties work. For these treaties specifically, this means we all must live up to the principles of peace and friendship, now and in the future.